Chapter 44: Can you be a little gentler?

Her eyes narrowed slightly as she felt the faint tickle against her palm.

Ning Wan stroked the top of the white Big Cat’s head.

The Cat had learned to behave—obviously a good thing.

Her fingertips sank into the soft fur, feeling the smoothness of the white hair.

Ning Wan drifted into thought.

Did that person take care of themselves? Her hair quality was really good.

Without voicing the strange thought that suddenly popped up, Ning Wan patted the empty space beside her.

“Come here.”

Lu Weizhu immediately sat down exactly as instructed, soft and obedient—just the way Ning Wan wanted, but not quite what she had imagined.

Those beautiful blue eyes were filled with fear and unease.

Ning Wan recalled how she had cuddled Lu Weizhu when she was feverish.

Both were equally compliant, but the impression they gave was completely different.

Ning Wan fidgeted with her fingertips, feeling a subtle shift in her emotions.

“W-what’s wrong?”

Lu Weizhu couldn’t stand the eerie silence anymore.

She broke the quiet.

Still silent, Ning Wan stroked her own chin.

Come to think of it, why had she come looking for Lu Weizhu?

There was no desire of that kind between them.

Probably just a whim, mixed with dissatisfaction at Lu Weizhu’s attitude. “…um…”

Stammering, unsure of what to say.

Lu Weizhu clenched her hands into fists weakly.

Though the wound on her palm had long since scabbed over, it still throbbed faintly.

“It’s nothing.”

Ning Wan snapped back to reality.

She pulled Lu Weizhu into her arms.

“Phew…

I was just feeling a little emotional seeing you finally learn to please your Owner.”

Ning Wan rested her head on Lu Weizhu’s shoulder.

Lu Weizhu’s body stiffened, her hands placed rigidly at her sides, not daring to move.

A warm breath brushed against her neck, leaving her flustered and at a loss.

Am I about to be eaten?

Ah…that’s probably inevitable, since my job is to be eaten.

It didn’t matter; she had lost count of how many times by now.

Lu Weizhu tried to comfort herself.

Her trembling knuckles betrayed her unease.

She was trying to please her two patrons, but clearly, her skill at hiding her emotions was lacking.

“…”

Taking a deep breath, the slender, fair neck of the girl was within reach.

In the quiet breathing, Ning Wan caught a faint, pleasant scent she couldn’t name.

It wasn’t lavender bath gel, nor was it perfume.

Ning Wan closed her eyes.

She felt a little dizzy.

When she opened them again and looked at the delicate neck before her, a wicked thought suddenly popped into her mind.

If she bit down, the girl would probably cry terribly, wouldn’t she?

She parted her lips slightly, her front teeth grazing the girl’s skin.

Her tongue detected no particular flavor—just ordinary, no different from the back of her own hand.

Where had that strange fragrance come from?

Ning Wan was at a loss.

“N-Ning…Miss!”

Sensing the unusual touch on her neck as the teeth sank lightly into her skin—still without pressure—

Lu Weizhu already felt pain.

Her hands clutched her knees tightly as she cried out.

She had thought about being eaten, but she definitely didn’t want to be eaten literally…

The devil behind her probably only wanted to bully her, not kill her.

But the pain was real.

Who besides a masochist would actually enjoy pain?

Anyway, Lu Weizhu did not like it. “…it.”

Her voice low and heavy, another burst of warm breath landed on Lu Weizhu’s neck.

Her body shuddered.

“Please…don’t…I beg you.”

Lu Weizhu pleaded, steadying herself on the Tea Table to stand.

“Ugh.”

Ning Wan grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back down, pinning her beneath her.

Ning Wan didn’t say a word.

Holding Lu Weizhu’s palm, she stared into those same blue eyes.

Leaning close to the girl beneath her, Ning Wan tugged at her clothes, exposing half of her shoulder.

“No…please don’t…”

Lu Weizhu shook her head.

She didn’t want to feel pain anymore.

If she had done something wrong, fine…but she clearly hadn’t done anything.

She wanted to be treated gently—at least like a normal person.

Lu Weizhu absolutely did not want to be treated like trash.

Unfortunately, her refusal meant nothing.

The blue stars in her eyes began to fall, and the face that made her want to vomit crept closer.

Lu Weizhu turned her head away.

“Ning Miss! O-Owner…please, just be a little gentler…just a little.”

Her palm gripped tightly, Lu Weizhu felt no sense of safety, only waves of pain.

Ning Wan said nothing but smiled.

Lu Weizhu froze.

In Ning Wan’s smile, she saw mockery.

Sometimes silence was the best answer.

Ning Wan’s smile seemed to say something to her.

You, who stole someone else’s feelings—a cheap, self-degrading toy—what right do you have to ask for gentleness?

No matter how obedient a Cat is, it’s still a Cat, never treated as human.

Lu Weizhu said nothing.

“…Hm?”

Ning Wan hummed.

In truth, she didn’t think nearly as much as Lu Weizhu did; the smile was simply because she was happy.

Her Cat was calling her Owner.

“Hello, takeout.”

Just as Ning Wan was wondering why Lu Weizhu’s plea had abruptly stopped, someone knocked on the door.

Ning Wan turned her head.

The Living Room door was open, and the Delivery Girl stood at the entrance, knocking on the ajar door.

“Ah!?”

Startled, Lu Weizhu couldn’t care about anything else.

Afraid her shameful side would be discovered, she pushed Ning Wan and hurriedly slipped out.

“I’m coming.”

Messily fixing her disheveled clothes, Lu Weizhu hurried to the Living Room door.

“Your takeout, please remember to give a good review.”

The familiar figure appeared at the doorway.

Wearing a helmet and a yellow uniform, her pale yellow hair spilled out from the helmet’s seams.

The hair color didn’t look dyed—more like a result of malnutrition.

This was the third time Lu Weizhu had seen the same Delivery Girl.

Is the world really this small?

“Ah…okay, I’ll definitely give five stars.”

Snapping back to reality, Lu Weizhu took the takeout and closed the door behind her.

With a bang, the door shut, and she leaned against it, letting out a sigh of relief.

Outside the Living Room, the Delivery Girl stood in the hallway.

A flash of the girl’s tilted collar crossed her mind, and just one look made her understand what had happened.

Without a word, she ran down the stairs.

She had no time to think about others—time was tight and the task heavy; she still had to continue her work.

But somehow, it felt like she had just seen someone familiar.

“Ha…um…sorry, I didn’t mean to push you, I just got scared.”

Placing the takeout on the Tea Table, Lu Weizhu nervously apologized as she looked at Ning Wan, who sat on the sofa with her posture still slightly askew from being pushed.

“…Forget it, let’s call it a day.”

Pursing her lips, Ning Wan’s mood was ruined by the Delivery Girl’s interruption.

Perhaps Lu Weizhu’s effort to please had worked after all—

Ning Wan didn’t feel like blaming her.

Straightening up, Ning Wan seemed a little annoyed.

“…Ah, hmm.”

Relieved to have survived the ordeal, Lu Weizhu relaxed her tense muscles.

She carefully sat back beside Ning Wan, but dared not make any small movements, sitting stiffly like a wooden doll.